


No Girls Allowed

by LauraRoslinForever



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Art School, Ben's a famous YouTuber, Ben's really soft for Rey, Domestic Fluff, Eventual Smut, F/M, Finn and Poe are so married, Rey and Ben are soft, Reylo - Freeform, Roommates, Slow Burn, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, a Valentine's Day prompt I gave someone but then had to write myself
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-14
Updated: 2020-03-24
Packaged: 2021-02-22 14:53:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22717789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LauraRoslinForever/pseuds/LauraRoslinForever
Summary: Poe, Finn, Hux, and Ben have been roommates for years, but the boys have a problem because Hux has moved out and they need that extra roommate to cover the rent. Ben leaves Poe in charge to find another but when he gets no input from others he makes an executive decision to give the room to Rey Kenobi, who he may have assumed was a guy.Until she knocked on their door, that is.Rey soon disrupts their lives with bras and flowers, tampons and romcoms. She’s the messy to their neat. The pop tart loving, cuddle-with-me-because-I’m-cold roommate they never knew they wanted. Ben may have a crush. Rey may know this, and feel the same.
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 40
Kudos: 192





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Someone asked for a Valentine's Day prompt on Twitter. I thought about it and came up with this idea and then couldn't stop thinking about it. Ugh. lol So now here's this last-minute, crazy roommate story. I have an idea where it's going. I definitely know the rating will go up later. Okay, enjoy! ;)

23 Barrow Street is a gorgeous four-story red brick Romanesque Revival era apartment building in New York City’s West Village. It’s everything Poe Dameron described in his email. From this, she also knows that apartment 3R is a very large three bedroom, two full bathrooms that offer an abundance of light. 

The light initially drew her. 

She’s an art student, drawing and painting, and all the other places she’d been scrounging through offered rooms with little to no light at all and that, that just wouldn’t do. 

She’s still reeling over how quickly everything all came together for her. One moment she was looking at art schools and the next she was applying and being accepted. It was all a rush and took only a matter of weeks. She could have lived with other students but the idea of living with five other girls was off-putting and a lot more expensive than finding a place on her own. 

So she’s about to live with three men... So what? Two of them are in a relationship, and (from the rental agreement Poe sent her) the other is a photographer and fast-rising YouTube creator. That details were important enough she had to be okay with a gay couple- and had to sign another agreement that she released permission to be used in any videos. But like, the guy made photography and video how-to videos. Stuff about cameras and equipment and using software like Lightroom. Poe sent her his reassurance it was more of a formality and wouldn’t be asked to be in any videos their studio just happened to be in the apartment and sometimes things happened. She signed with a shrug. Her room is affordable, comes with windows, and is only a two-block walk to the Art Institute. So she accidentally gets filmed walking into the kitchen while they’re shooting? She couldn't care less. It’s totally worth it.

And if she’s being honest, the YouTube creator is... he’s not bad looking. She knows because she looked him up. And with just over three million subscribers, she finds she’s not the only one who shares that thought. His deep baritone voice and dark hair that’s just long enough he more often than not had to brush it out of his eyes… Rey has watched a lot of his videos since looking him up to make sure he wasn’t some creep. Enough of his videos that she knows Poe is also a photographer and in a lot of the videos as well. As is his fiancé, Finn, who pops up now and then when they go out on shoots. Also their former roommate, a ginger-haired man that is often frowning in photos or the background. Rey’s not sorry he’s the one to go. 

As they are, they seem fun and friendly, which is why she’s not too worried about being the only girl. 

She’s kind of excited about it. She’s always been interested in photography but outside of her iPhone and mediocre Instagram that comprises her art and flowers that is as close to a photographer as she gets. She has questions for Ben but that can wait until she’s moved in. She doesn’t want him to think she’s a crazy fan or something. Because he has those, and she’s read some of the comments girls leave on his videos and… yikes.

Thanking her Uber driver, Rey slings her very large, very heavy duffel bag over her shoulder and takes hold of her medium-sized suitcase with the other. It’s all she has in the world now. Most of her things she left in England. She’s moved around enough in her life between foster homes until her grandfather found her to know what’s important and what isn’t. The things she has with her is all she needs. Clothes, a few books, her portfolio, and the few pictures she has with her and her grandfather before he died. Everything else she can replace. She has the money. The small fortune she inherited will see to that. But first, she needs to sit and eat. She really hopes her roommates aren’t stereotypical dudes who only have beer and expired milk in their fridge.

At the door she types in the code she has memorized already and sighs in relief when a blast of warm air hits her as she opens the door. New York City in February is _cold_. Another fantastic perk of her new apartment. Centralized heating _and_ air conditioning. She almost cried tears of joy when Poe listed that as one of its many amenities. Gone were the days on hovering close by a wonky radiator and opening windows praying for a light breeze.

However, there’s no elevator up to the upper apartments, and she may not have taken that much with her but the things she has are heavy. She’s out of breath by the time she finally reaches the third floor and she takes a minute to get it back and fix her hair in her phone’s camera because yeah, she doesn’t want to look like crap.

Her stomach swoops. She’s nervous for so many reasons. She hopes they like her. 

She adjusts her duffle bag on her shoulder, reaches her hand up and knocks. Poe promised he’d have a key made and waiting for her.

After several long moments, Rey hears footsteps. She reminds herself to breathe just as the door opens. It’s Poe, thank God. 

“Hello,” he greets looking at her then down the hall as if expecting someone else to be with her. 

“Hi,” she replies and smiles. He’s wearing jeans and a flannel shirt. His hair has that salt and pepper look to it. It’s attractive in that older middle-age man kind of way. She thinks he’s adorable.

“Are you from the studio because we’re not ready yet?”

Rey frowns. Studio? She shakes her head. “No, I’m Rey. You’re new roommate.”

Several reactions seem to cross his face in very little time. Shock, at the forefront, followed by confusion, and finally, realization. 

“Rey Kenobi? You’re Rey Kenobi?”

“I’m pretty sure that’s my name. Last time I checked anyway.”

She’s kidding but he doesn’t even crack a smile. “You can’t be Rey Kenobi.”

Now she’s the one confused. Is she there on the wrong day? She’s sure they agreed on the 14th.

“You’re Poe Dameron, right?” she asks because maybe she got him wrong in the videos. Maybe he’s Finn or Armitage? When he swallows and nods, she continues. “We’ve been exchanging emails for the last week. I can pull them up on my phone if you’d like.”

“But… you’re supposed to be a man.”

Rey tilts her head. Seriously? That’s what this is about? 

“Am I?” She drops her duffle to the floor and pulls out her phone that has all their correspondence but is interrupted by Poe grabbing her bag with one hand, her arm with the other and ushering her quickly inside. “Hey, I can manage…” she protests.

“Guys!” Poe calls cutting off anything else she might say. “Can I see you in the living room, please? Now!”

He leaves her standing in the entry though he’s still carrying her bag with him wherever he’s off to. Glancing around the first thing she notices is how neat everything is. She hadn’t been expecting that. From where she stands she can see into the kitchen. It’s all white and dark marble counters with pristine steel appliances. There’s not a crumb to be seen. Not a piece of fruit. Not even an unopened bottle of beer. 

Pity. 

“Hey.” She looks over to see Poe. He’s standing down a hall just outside a set of French double doors. Must be the living room, she thinks. “You coming?”

“Right. Yes.” She leaves her suitcase by the door and follows. The living room is extremely large and much more cozy looking than the kitchen. It has a fireplace, a large TV, and big overstuffed couches Rey would kill to lie down on for a few minutes... or hours. 

“Poe, what is it? You know I need at least another hour to get ready for — oh.” From across the room, another man comes in. He’s dressed in dark blue jeans and a white shirt that complements his dark skin. “Hello,” he says with a big, bright smile. “Are you from the studio?”

Poe shakes his head in... frustration, maybe? Rey’s not so sure, but this isn’t her mistake. She submitted a background check. She’s pretty sure she checked "female” in the gender box. “No, she’s not from the studio she’s-” 

Poe explains, but then another voice from behind her interrupts him.

“What’s up? Did the time change? I thought you said they wouldn’t be here until three?”

Rey turns and looks up… and up. It’s Ben, and oh, his videos don’t do him justice. Rey swallows and tries to ignore the inconvenient but not unpleasant butterflies in her stomach.

From beside her Poe sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. “She’s not from the studio.” There is a beat and everyone stares at her until Poe says, “Guys this is, Rey. Our new roommate.”

It’s the man across the room who speaks first. “Okay, not what I was expecting.” 

“She’s a girl,” Ben states, flatly. 

Rey bites her lip to keep from grinning. “You’re astute.”

Ben’s frown only deepens. He’s so cross. She shouldn’t find this funny but he’s so serious and she’s nervous.

“Look we thought...” Poe begins, “we were expecting a guy.”

“I don’t know why. I checked the female box on the application just as I did on the background check.”

Poe’s brow furrows, and he reaches into his back pocket for what Rey supposes is his phone. She pays him no mind though. She’s tired and hungry and just wants to sit down. 

“This place is great.” She makes a show of gazing around more before asking, “Where is my room?”

Ben stares. His arms are crossed across his very broad chest. He’s in a black sweater with the sleeves pushed up his forearms like he's overly warm. It's actually quite chilly in the room. She thinks if she hadn't still had her coat on she'd be dying for a warm sweater and thick socks. 

“Back this way,” the man across the room -Finn, if she’s remembering right- tells her with a head tilt that suggests she should follow. Ben gives him a look like he’s about to say something but she ignores him and picks up her duffel bag that Poe had dropped in front of one of the sofas.

She follows Finn down a hall. They pass a door that’s a bedroom, and then another that’s the bathroom and Rey has enough time to see that it’s also meticulously clean but also large with a picture window above the oh, is that a clawfoot tub? Rey groans internally imagining nights with good books and a Lush bath bombs. She loves the place already even if her roommates are having a panic attack over sharing their space with a girl. They’ll get over it. She has a rental agreement. 

“This is it,” Finn tells her as he opens the door to the very last room. 

Rey’s breath catches in her throat. It’s the corner room, so she has two large windows and a view the overlooks a park. She’s not sure which park it is yet, but she’ll find out when she goes exploring. There’s still another week before her classes start. 

There is a problem though. The room is completely empty, not exactly something she expected but nothing that can’t be solved later. She can always sleep on the couch or maybe get an air mattress somewhere close by?

“When’s the rest of your stuff coming?”

“Oh, I have another bag I left in the hall but other than that, this is it.”

He raises one dark brow at her. “This is it?”

Rey shrugs. “I moved here from London. It’s not like it’d be worth it to ship a bed. I’ll get one later.”

The look he gives her is nothing short of horrified and it makes her smile. “Please don’t sleep on the floor. We’ll find you... something.”

She presses her lips together to keep from laughing. “That would be greatly appreciated, thank you..”

In the living room, she can hear arguing. Finn must hear it too because he tenses and then turns and heads back out the way they came. Rey follows steeling herself in case they’re arguing about her. 

They totally are.

“You should have paid better attention.”

“Me? _You_ should have looked at the applications I sent you instead of ignoring my emails.”

“Fuck the applications. How hard is it to just ask the applicants upfront?”

“How hard— Do you want a discrimination lawsuit?”

“Oh, come on, people can’t sue us for having a living preference in our own place.”

“It’s 2020, Ben. Yeah, they can.”

Finn clears his throat and two sets of eyes look toward them. Poe straightens, while Ben throws up his hands and sighs. 

“Whatever. I don’t care,” he says.

“I’m calling a meeting,” Finn tells them then gazes back at her. His look is apologetic, but also stern like he’s about to give the other two a lecture. “If you’ll excuse us just a moment, Rey.”

Finn ushers them out of the room into the hall. Exhausted, Rey takes a seat. The material is cool, and she sinks into it with a heavy exhale. She can hear whispering. Her lips pull up hearing Finn’s, “Oh, calm down. You’d think you never saw a girl before.”

“What are we supposed to do with a girl here?” Ben says.

“The same things we always do,” Finn hisses.

“No, we can’t. We’ll have to watch what we say and do and remember things like putting down the toilet seat,” Ben tells him.

“That I actually wouldn’t mind.”

“Look, we can’t kick her out,” Poe tells them. “We had her sign a rental agreement. We’d have to give her notice and beyond that, we’d need a reason other than because she’s a girl. She’d own our asses.”

Ben’s scoff is not quiet. Rey bristles. While he’s right, she would, she’s not the type of person who would do something like that. If they really don’t want her there, she’d leave. She hopes it doesn’t come to that, but she’s not going to live where she’s not wanted.

“Look,” it’s Finn’s voice again. “She seems sweet, she’s cute as a button,” there’s a pause, “don’t make that face at me Benjamin,” a beat, “She moved here from London. Where else will she go? Do _you_ want to tell her she can’t stay?” They’re all quiet but she thinks the question is directed at Ben. She can’t help but think about how different he is. He seems so much more… open on his videos. A lot warmer than he seems to be. Which is a little sad if that’s true? “And besides, it’s Valentine’s Day.” _Huh,_ she thinks. She forgot all about what day it was. Though it’s not like she’s ever had a reason to celebrate the holiday before. She always thought it was a bit overrated. “We can’t kick a girl out on Valentine’s Day.”

“I still think the not getting sued is more important to focus on but let’s go with that.”

They’re all silent. She isn’t too worried. Finn seems on board. They’ll get over it and they’ll all love her. Even Ben.

Eventually.

She hopes. 

“Fine. She stays.” That’s Ben’s voice, and it’s not unkind. She breathes a sigh of relief. “But make sure she stays out of the way when Jannah and her crew get here. Unless she wants to be featured in the interview, too.”

Rey stands and smiles brightly as they come back into the room. Finn takes Poe’s hand and The two of them smile back.

Not bad, Rey, she thinks to herself.

They’re all handsome. Two of them are in love and the other, well… she’s always been a sucker for tall, dark, and broody. 

And just like that, it all suddenly seems appropriate she starts her new life with these guys on Valentine’s Day.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everyone! Gah! Thank you for the great response to this and all the comments. I really appreciate them all! 
> 
> I hope y'all are ready for Ben's POV. After this one chapters are going to be a lot longer shifting from Rey's POV to Ben's, each chapter covering a month's worth of time. I'm really excited about this one. It's the softest, most ridiculous thing ever.

Ben Solo doesn’t have time for this. He’s got a whole film crew coming to interview him in just over an hour, his own cameras to set up since he’s putting out his version of the interview on his channel right after Jannah’s goes up, and he’s not even fucking dressed for it. 

He certainly doesn’t have the time to think about her. Not her accent or her freckles, or those ridiculous dimples that pop out when she smiles because she just had to smile at him and he had to notice. And what the actual fuck is that about, anyway? The way he stood there transfixed like she’s the first girl he noticed in a depressing amount of time. 

Why he’s wasting time trying very hard not to think about her when he should focus on other things is beyond him. It’s like he’s a teenager all over again instead of a thirty-two-year-old with a  _ job _ to do. 

He stalks upstairs to his room, the only room on the upper floor beside the bathroom that is also his and goes to his closet. The interview isn’t one he needs to dress up for. It’s with another creator friend he met while hanging out at a content creator party. Jannah has just over two million of her own viewers, interviewing other creators and critiquing the best YouTube has to offer. That she called and asked to interview him after all the shit he’d been through over the last year, well, it’d been a pretty fucking proud moment for him. 

Ben chooses a black tee-shirt and a zip-up charcoal hoodie and grabs a pair of black washed out jeans. He cranks up the heat in the shower and does a good job blocking out that there’s a girl downstairs. Mostly.

Until he’s back downstairs. But by then someone else is knocking on the door and Finn is letting Jannah inside.

“Ben, nice to see you again,” she tells him holding out her hand which he takes with a smile. “Thanks for agreeing to the interview. These are my guys, Owen and Derrick.”

“Jannah, nice to see you.” He gives a nod to the two guys behind her. “How’s it going?” They both say their hello’s and then Ben is turning to his friends. “This is Poe and Finn.”

Jannah gives the same nod he gave her guys only hers is directed towards the kitchen. “And that one?”

Ben turns around. Rey is sitting on one of the four barstools at the kitchen island looking like she’s lived and belonged there from the start. “This is our new roommate, Rey.”

“Fascinating,” Jannah murmurs and steps into the kitchen. Ben follows and shares a look with his other roommates. “Tell me, Rey,” she asks, “what’s it like to hang out with this guy?”

Rey’s eyes travel from Jannah to Poe and Finn, then up and over, meeting his. He has no idea why he holds his breath. He’d deserve it if she told Jannah what an ass he was to her. He regrets his attitude; he’s regretted since the moment he felt the need to throw his damn guard up but there’s not much he can do about it now.

If she forgives him for it, he swears he’ll make up for his shitty attitude. Somehow.

A beat passes, and her eyes are back on Jannah. Rey smiles a smile that  _ does _ things to him and says, “I’ve only just moved in. They’ve all been really thoughtful and welcoming,” again her eyes flick up to meet his, “but ask me again in another month.”

He can’t believe it. She’s fucking  _ teasing _ him.

Jannah’s laugh rings through the room. “Will do.” He doesn’t have time to process what to make of the girl across the room or think of a reply because Jannah is already turning back toward him. “Shall we?”

“We shall.” Ben holds out an arm indicating the stairs. Halfway up realizes they’d left Rey alone in the kitchen and turns to Finn and Poe behind him. “Hey, one of you take care of the girl.”

Neither Poe nor Finn looks like they want to miss out on the interview. 

“Make yourself at home, Rey,” Finn calls down the stairs. 

Ben rolls his eyes. 

“Oh, so she just moved in?” Jannah asks as they step into Ben’s room and studio. It’s large enough that his more personal effects, his bed and such are far across the room.

“She did,” he says hoping he sounds more cheerful about her arrival than he had been.

“Wow, all right then. Was she a friend of one of yours?”

“She’s my friend,” Finn says, “From London.”

“She’s going to school close by,” Poe adds.

“I love it. Adding a girl to the gang. Bravo.” Jannah looks around at Ben’s desk, his shelves of cameras and equipment then falls into the chair he set out for her across his desk. “Nice set-up Ben. Let’s get this show on the road.”

She takes out a pair of headphones and a laptop from her bag. He sits across from her and does the same. They chat about the software and mics they use until they have everything ready to go.

It’s Jannah’s interview, so he sits back as she does her intro. “What’s up creative people, today I’m here with photographer and cinematographer Ben Solo. For those few of you who don’t know this man, seriously what the hell are you doing, watch this man, we are about to have a conversation with him to get his secrets. But first I want you to tell me, Ben, how you went from being fired by your uncle to being the fastest-growing channel on YouTube?”

He reaches up and scratches his neck, letting out a laugh. She warned him she was going straight to the backstory. “I hope you have some time, Jannah because it’s a hell of a story.”

She raises a mug she brought with her into the air. “I’ve got coffee and I’m all yours.”

The interview goes on well into the evening after talking with him and then Poe and Finn. Jannah suggests bringing Rey up, but they all shake their heads and agree that they don’t want to go scaring her off just yet. After Jannah leaves Ben retreats upstairs. He’s too keyed up from the interview and their whole living situation to go downstairs. Besides, if he’s going to get his video up the same day as Jannah’s he needs to start editing it. 

He’s staring at the timeline on Premiere Pro. He makes cuts and transitions easily with little thought. He’s done this kind of thing for years. Editing comes naturally. He knows the shots he wants. He’ll put more concentration into sound editing and effects later. His thoughts inevitably end up drifting back to Rey. It’s not that she’s a girl that bothers him, it’s why she couldn’t have been a different kind of girl. One that didn’t make his chest feel tight or his breathing so god damn difficult. 

Poe hadn’t been lying when he told Jannah she was going to school. Ben knew that much about their future roommate when Poe filled them in on the “guy” over breakfast less than a week ago. At the time Ben thought it’d be cool. He’d gone to art school himself. From what they knew, the guy seemed cool.

Ben finishes editing a little after midnight, and that’s when he realizes he skipped dinner.

The lights are all off downstairs. He knows he should grab something to eat and go back upstairs, but his curiosity gets the best of him. He makes his way through the living room and down the hall. If she’s still up, the least he can do is say goodnight and prove to her he isn’t a total prick. 

Poe and Finn’s door is closed, but Rey’s is wide open. He peeks inside, wincing as he does so. She has no furniture, and he really hopes she’s not sleeping on the floor. She’s not. She’s not even in the room. Her bags are on the floor, but she’s nowhere to be found. The bathroom door is open and empty. He makes his way back into the living room and his suspicions where she might be are confirmed when he looks over into the far corner. She’s asleep, curled up against the back of one of their couches in a ball, snoring softly. He makes his way over and can tell that she’s cold. 

They don’t have any blankets out in the living room. With a sigh, he makes his way back upstairs to his room. In his closet, he grabbed a heavy quilt his mom made him when he moved away to college. It’s made from the most god awful ugly flannel but he keeps it and pulls it out on Rosh Hashanah and the occasional on Hanukkah when she and his dad visit otherwise most of the time he goes to their place.

She’s still out downstairs when he returns, and he covers her up carefully so he won’t wake her. She doesn’t even have the thing on her a whole minute before she’s letting out a sigh and pulling it tightly around her. It makes him feel better to know she’ll stay warm. It’s... whatever. He’s glad she’s not cold anymore.

Why he cares, he has no idea.

Ben makes his way back to his room hoping to hell that keeping her around isn’t the worst decision they’ve made. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize this has taken so long. Anxiety right now is a b word. I hope the length of the chapter makes up for it. Also, all mistakes are sadly mine.

They don’t actually shoo her into her room when Jannah comes to interview Ben, but they don’t invite her up with them either. Which is fine. She’s nobody to them. Well, not _nobody…_ They don’t know her, and she doesn’t know them, though she feels like she knows Ben vaguely through his videos. They do introduce her as their new roommate, but she doesn’t miss their unease when Jannah questions her on what it’s like to live with them. Poe and Finn look weary, but Ben, maybe it’s because of how they started off but he looks tense, like how she answers is a weighted thing. Lucky for him she’s not petty, nor does she feel like antagonizing someone she wants to have a good relationship with. Roommate wise, that is. 

She jokes with Jannah to ask her again after she’s lived there longer. Jannah grins, Ben’s shoulders drop, Finn and Poe smile, and just like that everything’s fine. They take the interview upstairs, leaving her alone, which makes her feel even more nervous than she had been when they were around.

Even still moments later when she hears Finn call from upstairs to make herself at home.

She familiarizes herself with the kitchen, a kitchen is a kitchen, after all, then sets her sights on the rest of the apartment. There’s a closet by the front door where the guys keep heavy jackets, a small entryway table with a sleek black bowl. Inside it are two sets of keys. One keyring has her lips pulling up affectionately as she recognizes a black Legend of Zelda Hylian Shield bearing the symbol of the Triforce. She plans to find out which one of them is the Zelda fan and they will be her new best friend. She has loved Zelda since she was a kid. It was the first game she ever played on an old second-hand Gameboy she got for Christmas when she was nine.

Her suspicions are confirmed that at least one of them plays games because in the living room there is a Playstation and an Xbox, but sadly, no Nintendo. Well, boo. Still, she scans the shelf of Blue-rays until she finds the games and finds there’s quite a variety. From Elder Scrolls to The Witcher, Fallout and Mortal Kombat, even Sonic. If she had to make a guess who the gamer in the apartment is, she’d say Ben or Poe.

Moving away from the games, Rey walks into the middle of the room and just takes everything in. The apartment has a touch of style she never really expected. To be fair, she hadn’t known what to expect. The wood floors have accent rugs. The walls are a cool white with just enough warmth to keep her from feeling like she’s in a hospital. But Rey’s favorite part of the living room is the gallery wall. It’s not overly large. Just seven black frames with photos taken somewhere in the city set around a large black-and-white picture of Manhattan. 

The pictures are beautiful. They’re probably Ben’s or Poe’s, maybe both. There’s something inexplicably sad about some photos. A man’s reflection as he stands over a puddle. The rain on a window overlooking an empty street. And yet, a hopeful shot of the sun rising between two dark buildings. A couple’s hands (masculine hands, she thinks) intertwined somewhere on a beach. 

Eventually, laughter draws her attention away from the wall and further into the room.

It’s a lovely sound. The guys. The crew. Jannah. It’s easygoing, and fills her with warmth and gives her reassurance that however wrong-footed they started out, things would find a way of working out. 

She makes her way back to her room where she comes to a stop in the middle. It’s small, but the ceiling is high, and the closet is large. She imagines a bed in the corner by the window and a large easel by the window across from it. It might be because she’s cold, but she imagines pillows and throws blankets, and sitting by the window with a cup of tea when it snows and rains. Her bags are against the wall by the door, she takes a seat beside them and pulls out her phone. She still has her phone from home and will need to get a new one. She loves the one she has, but she’s not going to continue to pay for international data. 

She pulls up her Maps app and searches for furniture stores. Rey’s brows rise as all the little icons fill in around her location. There are… many. So many she won’t have to worry about going a long way to find the things she needs. While she’s in the app, she looks around at her neighborhood. Rey’s jaw drops open a little. There are all sorts of restaurants nearby. Within a two-block radius, she has a cafe, a bagel shop, seafood, Mexican, ramen, and _oh, God,_ there is pizza just seven buildings away. 

Spectacular. She’s sure to gain at least ten pounds. 

There are also two theaters, a gallery, a pottery house (she’s always wanted to learn how to make bowls since she watched the movie Ghost), and the park she’d been wondering about when she first looked out her bedroom window is Washington Square Park. That last one she’s going to first thing in the morning. While she needs to get her things prepared for school on Monday and her life organized, she will still set a little time aside for a little exploring. 

An hour goes by before she knows it and she’s just looking up shows on Bradway when there comes a soft knock as Finn pokes his head in her room. 

“Are you hungry?”

Rey looks up, and she realizes she hasn’t eaten since she arrived at the JFK airport when she grabbed a chocolate peanut butter energy bar and iced coffee. She’s famished, and she tells him so. 

“Come on,” he says. She gets to her feet and follows him. “Oh, and you’ll want the WiFi password I’m assuming?”

“You’d assume correctly.”

“The network is KyloRen, and the password is, are you ready?”

“Hang on,” she says, pulling up her settings and clicking on the WiFi name. “All right.”

“FN2187”

“Interesting. Do they reference something?”

“They’re our gamer names.”

A smirk lifts her lips. One mystery solved. “Clever.”

Back in the kitchen, Finn makes her a smoothie and heats her a slice of the vegan lasagna Ben made (Finn is the only one who is strictly vegan. Poe tires. Ben only does when they make something for them all, Fin explains) the night before. It turns out they do have fruit, just not out on the counter. There’s a fancy pantry in the kitchen that has loads of food and a section strictly for produce. Finn likes to keep the enormous fridge organized. Drinks and prepped meals on the top shelves and cooled produce in the six also organized crispers while the doors are condiments. Between the protein shake mixes and how everything has an organic label, they’re all ridiculously healthy, she determines as Finn finishes the full kitchen tour. She’s not really surprised. They seem like the type. Posh and uptight. She just may have to sneak her junk food in.

“I can clear a few shelves for you in the pantry, or you can add money to the grocery jar like Ben does and share with us all.” He walks over to the counter and there beside the coffee pot is a clear bluish tint mason jar stuffed to the lid with a wad of bills. “I do the grocery shopping on Sundays. In the summer Poe and I go to the farmers' market every week. If you have a specific request, you can put it on a Post-It and add it to the jar. Same goes for the regular market too.”

That’s… sweet. “You don’t mind shopping for everyone?”

Rey hears a snort from the other side of the kitchen. It’s Poe who just emerged from upstairs, going over to the fridge to get a San Pellegrino. Finn ignores Poe and answers, “The most important thing you need to know about me is I’m a bit of a control freak…”

“A bit?”

Finn closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, and after a few heartbeats opens his eyes and continues undeterred, “I like things organized. This,” he gestures with a hand towards the pristine kitchen, “is what I live for.”

This, to Rey, is stifling. Just looking at the shelves of straight-labeled food made her want to mess things up a bit. Knock a few things over.

She won’t but she wants to.

And oh, how she has to keep it together because Finn’s look is so genuine, so serious it makes her small smile want to erupt into something she won’t be able to control if she gives in. “Good to know,” she tells him, not before clearing her throat when she is finally, _finally_ able to school her features into something that she hopes is just as earnest and adds, “I’ll keep that in mind.”

She doesn’t see Ben for the rest of the night. She does sit with Finn and Poe in the living room getting to know them for a while until she yawns for what she feels like is the tenth time in as many minutes.

“We should let you get some sleep,” Poe says, nudging Finn’s leg with his own. 

She frowns and glances down at her phone. It’s just after seven, far too early for them to be going to bed or for her to be as tired as she is, but she has been up since four am London time. Even then, she feels guilty for making them feel like they have to leave their living room. “I don’t want to push you out of here,” she starts to protest.

But they’re both already on their feet when Finn tells her, “Don’t worry about it. It’s been a long day for us too.”

“Yeah, and if this guy doesn’t get his beauty sleep he gets grumpy,” Poe says with a smirk and a wink to which Finn rounds on him taking a swing at him that Poe successfully dodges with a laugh. “Personally,” he tells her, “I think the couch you’re on is the most comfortable.”

“You spend enough time there,” Finn quips over his shoulder.

Rey laughs, and calls out, “Thank you!” and “Good night!”

“Night,” comes the twin replies.

Rey makes her way into her room and turns on a light. There, she picks out a pair of soft cotton sleep pants, a long-sleeved Henley shirt, her toothbrush, and toothpaste. The bathroom is unsurprisingly as impeccable as the kitchen. She smiles, wondering how they would react if she got toothpaste on the mirror. A little neatness she can deal with. Hopefully, they can deal with a little of her chaos because she doubts she’ll be able to alter twenty-four years of messy habit overnight. 

Once she’s dressed for bed, Rey leaves her things in her room except for her phone so she can set an alarm. The living room is quiet. There’s a lamp near the couch that’s been left on. The sun has already gone down in New York. When she turns it off, there is a soft light from the streetlights of her street, but also from the glow of the city that never sleeps.

She pads her way back to the couch in the far corner of the room away from the television so she isn’t bothering anyone if they want to watch TV and think they’ll disturb her. Taling one of the throw pillows, she settles down into the soft cushions and, wow; she agrees with Poe. It is comfortable. So comfortable she can already feel her body relaxing from the long day.

However, with her coat and sweater off, she’s now cold. Rey hadn’t thought to ask them for a blanket, and though she probably still can, she feels guilty enough for the way she stumbled in today. She’ll just get another sweater and some socks and she’ll be fine.

The sweater she puts on is thick and the socks definitely help. She’s not as cold as she once was. Tomorrow she’ll buy a blanket and maybe talk to them about turning up the heat a little. Her exhaustion from traveling paired with the cold makes it very easy to fall asleep. One moment she’s snuggling into the back of the sofa cushions thinking of all the things she would do in the morning and the next sleep claims her.

Morning comes and Rey wakes up to the smell of coffee, which she is immensely thankful for because it reminds her she’s not at home. That she’s in New York starting her new life. Her new life in her new apartment with her new roommates where she is… warm? Rey’s eyes pop open. The curtains are drawn back, so she has to blink her eyes a few times before they adjust and it’s when they do she realizes she is warm because someone has covered her in a blanket. 

Huh. It’s from one of her roommates, obviously. But is it from Finn or Poe or possibly Ben? Whoever it’s from, she’s grateful. The gesture gives her that little flutter in her chest. The one that comes when she feels cared for. Feelings like those remind her of her grandfather, and she blinks the tears away that gather in her eyes. She had three wonderful years with him until he was taken from her. The ache in her chest left by his death is deep and still so very raw. Crying won’t bring him back, she reminds herself. _He wanted you to be happy._ That’s what he made her promise. 

Rey sits up and wipes the few fallen tears from her cheeks, her gaze fixed out the window. 

She intends to be. 

Many hours later, Rey decides her neighborhood is charming and utterly amazing. She should be shopping, and she will, but she can’t help but stand in awe as she takes everything in. Their apartment is three blocks from Washington Square Park and for a while, she sits on a bench and stares at the arch she’s seen in so many movies and pictures. It’s beautiful, and she wants to draw it. She wants to get lost in its curves and shadows but sadly knows there are other things more pressing at the moment. Things like checking in with school, getting her books and supplies and furniture for her room, more specifically a bed. 

As much as it saddens her, her cheeks are stinging from the biting wind as are her hands. She makes a mental note to buy some gloves and Regretfully, gets to her feet and takes one last look around. I’ll be back, she thinks with a small smile. This is her home now. 

The line inside Starbucks is three people long, and she thinks it’s a good thing because she has no idea what she wants other than whatever it is must include a lot of espresso. The man in front orders a black coffee and that’s simple enough, then the woman with two kids tries to order her latte over her children loudly demanding cake pops and hot chocolates. Ahead of Rey is a girl with braided blonde hair who huffs and she looks back at Rey with an eye roll at what she can only guess is the spectacle In front of them. While Rey sympathizes with the woman, going out with children can be difficult. She knows she was a nanny for a year before uni, the children’s obnoxious begging is a parenting issue and so she shares a smile with the girl in front of her. 

When the mother and her two now contented children -cake pops in hand- finally leave the register, the blonde steps forward without preamble and says, “Can I get an iced crème brûlée latte with an extra pump of syrup and a chocolate croissant, please.”

“Is that any good?” 

The girl’s face brightens and then her eyes go kinda dreamy. “It’s amazing,” she tells her, “But if you want to try it, do it now. This is the only Starbucks left in the city that has any left.”

Rey smiles and watches while the girl pays with her phone. When it’s Rey’s turn, she debates getting what she normally gets (a white mocha with extra caramel drizzle) and the beverage bought by the girl. “I’ll have what she had but warm and instead of a croissant I’ll have a cheese danish,” she tells the man behind the counter. 

Down at the other end of the counter near the espresso machine, Rey takes a seat next to where a girl with shockingly bright pink hair is calling out drinks. Crème brûlée latte girl’s beverage is called out, and she smiles at Rey telling her, “Have a good one,” before making her way out the door. 

“If you were looking to buy a bed and some furniture, where would you go? Somewhere close.”

“Um,” the barista pauses and bites her lower lip that’s pierced with a steel, round ring. “There’s a Crate and Barrel next door I’d probably go to. The rest of the places are overpriced and god awful.”

“Thank you. I’ll give Crate and Barrel a go then. Just next door?” Rey points are the closest door that leads to the way she came in, but the barista shakes her head and points to the other door behind Rey.

“That way.”

“Thank you.”

It’s still cold, but she’s significantly warmer with her latte between her palms. Across the street, she spots an Urban Outfitters and she’ll have to pop in there this week. The little clothes she brought with her will only get her but for so long. Had Rey had more time to plan she might have given more thought to what she should keep and what she donate. But she’d thrown practically out the window as finding a place to live and getting her credits transferred took priority. Material possessions she could always buy again. Which is nice because she doesn’t think she’ll get away with only three pairs of underwear for long.

Coffee in hand, she makes her way next door. 

Inside the store, Rey is a little overwhelmed. There are many things she’d love to buy, but all she needs is a bed and maybe a dresser and some hangers. 

There are so many frames and mattresses to choose from, but with the help of a saleswoman she picks a minimalist platform bed with storage drawers underneath and a mattress she practically sinks into. The duvet set she buys she can’t even be sorry for, even if it was overpriced. It had pinks and browns and that stupid mustard yellow that she’s been obsessed over for more than a year now. She buys far too many pillows and sheets with ridiculously high thread counts and thinks how crazy she is for spending so much on something to sleep on but after spending most of her life with everything she owned second hand, she just might deserve this.

She purchases lace sheer curtains because she’s very much a morning person and her room faces east so she wants all the light the day will give her. She also gets a fancy seagrass hamper with a drawstring bag and stuffs it with two towels and face cloths just for her. When she feels she has everything she needs to manage comfortably, she checks out and calls for an Uber with an SUV.

The bed won’t be able to be delivered for a few days, and that’s fine because the couch was amazingly comfortable and she has blankets now. 

She tips the very polite and friendly man to help her up with her bags. When they reach the top, she drops the bags by the door and smiles. “Thank you so very much, Hassan.”

Jerry, a man originally from Syria with two children, Omar, 3, and Sarah, 7 and a lovely wife, Amira, places the bags he’s carrying beside hers and grins. “You’re very welcome, Rey. Welcome to New York.”

“Thank you,” she tells him, “And tell Sarah I said good luck in her school play!”

“I will,” he waves.

She must have made enough noise to alert her roommates because just as she grabs a handful of bags, Poe opens the door. Rey looks up as he’s crossing his arms across his chest while leaning against their door frame looking amused. “Did you get enough?”

Rey laughs. It is a lot, she supposes. “I hope so.”

“Did she get back?” she hears Finn call from somewhere inside the apartment. Another few seconds later and he’s out in the hall taking quick steps towards her. He leans over and takes one of her bags from the floor. “Crate and Barrel,” he murmurs and lets out a sigh that sounds relieved? “At least you didn’t go somewhere crazy like JCPenney.”

“Why? Is it bad?”

“They’re just a lot more extra than they think they are.” 

“Please tell me you’re going to wash these first?”

Rey clicks her tongue. Right. Laundry soap. “I am, yes. Just as soon as I get some laundry soap.”

Finn rolls his eyes. “Ugh, come on. Bring all that.”’ She does as she’s told and follows with a small smile. “Here’s where we keep the detergent and fabric softener. Use what you need and you can buy the next when they run out. We have a rotation between us.”

“Sounds fair.”

“Do you want me to show you…” Finn tilts his head towards the washer. 

Rey shakes her head.She’s pretty sure she can figure out how to wash her clothes even when there are more buttons than an iPad on this thing. “No, I think I’ve got it.”

He leaves her to it, but not without a weary expression. She promises she’s washed her own clothes before and not to leave bubbles everywhere and that appeases him to go with a more confident stride.

While her laundry washes, she goes into her room and pulls out her laptop. It’s an older Macbook she bought for herself second hand when she first started college. It’s old, but it has WiFi and it got her homework done.

Rey takes it back into the kitchen and as it boots up she goes to the cabinet to get a glass for water. She’s lucky the school had a busted pipe so classes were delayed two weeks, but not so much for supplies. She’s not comfortable enough with the city to go out searching for supplies so she’ll settle for Amazon. It’s never let her down before and with two day shipping it’ll save her the headache and her feet the blisters. 

Her cart is filled with forty-eight items when she hears the shuffling of feet coming into the kitchen. It’s Ben. He’s wearing a black tee shirt that looks like it might just be a size too small or maybe his chest is just that big. The dark grey sweats and beanie he’s wearing give him that comfortable lazy look.

And _um_ … she has to remind herself not to stare, it’s that good of a look on him. 

Rey shifts her eyes back to her screen and takes a drink of her water. 

“Hey,” he says.

“Hey.” She really tries to keep her eyes on her screen but when she sees him pull a bag of coffee from the cabinet Rey can’t help but ask, “You’re drinking coffee this late?”

Ben gives her a half smile as he shrugs. “I have a lot of editing to do. Things to set up before tomorrow.”

She can’t help but be interested. His life fascinates her. Not only is he an amazing photographer but he’s his own brand, and he built it with just him and a camera. “Are you making a new video?”

Another smile. “I’m always making a new one.”

Rey can feel her cheeks warm. “I guess that's right. You do upload them frequently.”

“Every Wednesday and Saturday.”

“What’s this next one about?”

“How to shoot epic B roll,” he says while moving to the fridge.

“Are you shooting in the city?”

“Down in Brooklyn by the bridge.” She doesn’t know what to say to that so she smiles then goes back to what she was doing before. She feels his eyes on her and looks up to see he is gazing at her while he adds cream to his coffee. “What are you up to?”

She straightens up in her chair. She hadn’t expected _him_ to talk to _her_. “Oh, just getting some last minute supplies for classes. They start on Monday.”

Ben nods, lifting his cup to his mouth to take a slow sip. “Poe mentioned you’re an art student?”

“Drawing and painting,” she says, then thinks about how much she prefers to draw adds, “mostly drawing.”

“You any good?”

She grins and laughs lightly. She certainly hopes so. She’s no DaVinci but… “Well, I don’t think I’d be wasting money on art school if I was terrible.”

He chuckles and her heart does this little flip in her chest. Gosh, it’s such a good chuckle. Low and deep and wow, she really needs to stop being so attracted to him before things get awkward. Because they will. Her last crush back in her second year of uni could attest to it. First she'll blush around him and then babble about nothing and anything and then somehow she'll stick her foot in her mouth and profess her feelings. Which inevitably won't be reciprocated to which she will embarrass herself so much she will have to find another place to live.

“Touché,” he says, then lifts his cup in the air. “Have a good night.”

“You too.” She watches as he leaves the kitchen feeling a little more at home.

The apartment is quiet in the afternoon three days later. 

As far as she knows the guys have either gone to work or are off doing their own thing. She has the place all to herself which is nice and a relief. They’re all still in this newness phase where they’re all getting to know one another and not exactly tip-toeing around one another but being respectful as far as keeping the TV at certain volumes and not making a ton of noise before or after a certain time. They’re all getting to know each other's comfort limits and while that’s great, it’s nice to be able to make a racket without worrying she's going to be annoying anyone. 

With her hair up into a high bun, she pulls on an oversized sweater and sweats and gets to work. She hasn’t painted in weeks. With the help of one of the barstools from the kitchen she manages to pin up a canvas cloth on the wall in the corner of her room next to her window and then unfolds on out on the floor. Once that’s all done, Rey sets up her new easle. It’s mostly together out of the box, she only needs to click a few pieces into place. She picks a panel and sets it up before unpacking the acrylic paints she purchased at the art supply store next to the school. 

She doesn’t mind acrylics even though many artists prefer oils, she likes that she can control the consistency and the texture, likes that she doesn’t need good ventilation and can paint anywhere. She especially likes that they’re not high maintenance and all she needs is a brush, a cup of water, a canvas, and her paints. 

Rey stands back and taps the end of her brush against her lips. She wants to paint something cheerful. Something bright. Out her window she can see the park. The green trees. The top of the arch. She wonders what it looks like in the summer. If there are flowers. If she closes her eyes she can imagine them. Like the ones in her grandfather's garden. Peonies, blue geraniums, painted daisies, golden sundrops, and Jupiter's beard.

She paints them all.

She’s so into her flowers she doesn’t notice the hours gone by nor does she hear the footsteps of the three dudes who watch her with new eyes before tip-toeing off. 

* * *

Ben’s up early on a Monday. It’s normally a personal rule to sleep in as long as he can. He likes to think of it as giving his middle finger to the beginning of the week. Today, however, the bed Rey had scheduled last week for delivery unexpectedly showed up at half-past seven. Poe and Finn made enough of a racket arguing with the delivery guys about moving it inside the apartment themselves, then discovered they needed an extra pair of hands and recruited him. 

Ben yawns into his hand as he waits for his coffee to brew. Poe’s beside him making eggs, Rey had run off saying something about a shower that had his brain short-circuiting there for a while. He’s been actively trying to keep the images of a naked Rey from his mind for the last ten minutes, probably because Finn won’t shut up about her. He’s been beside Ben, venting to him in hushed tones since she left.

“She leaves her towels on the floor,” he hisses, the exasperation his roommate has for such a high crime is clear in his tone. “She doesn’t even hang them up! Just leaves them on the ground for people to step over.”

Ben rolls his eyes for the third time that morning. He doesn’t care about Rey’s towels or her overfull hamper in her room, or her bras that have been flung over the shower door. He would prefer to not hear about or see her bras. He’s had a hard enough time not thinking about her as it is. Her smile, her freckles, her perfume. 

He should have taken his breakfast up to his room, but he was waiting for his coffee to brew and got stuck there listening to Finn bitch.

On the counter, there’s a box of strawberry Pop-Tarts and a purple bag of something he hadn’t noticed before. He reaches out for the bag, brow furrowing when he reads the label. Boom Chicka Pop. Pop-Tarts, he knows. This, however... “What is this?”

“Popcorn,” Finn says, “Our girl also likes to eat processed foods.”

“Shit, are these hot pockets? I remember loving them as a teenager.” Poe’s got the freezer drawer open, smiling at yet another Rey purchase when they both look over at him. Ben holds back a smile while Finn’s look screams disappointment. “What? I was a broke twenty-year-old once,” Poe defends.

Finn shakes his head. “If she’s going to live here, we need an intervention.”

“What intervention?” It’s Rey’s voice and Ben turns to see she’s no longer in a sweatshirt and leggings, but a long black floral dress with a very long, thick light grey cardigan that stops around her calves and boots that look a lot like combat boots with wide three-inch heels. There’s a dusting of makeup on her face. Her dark eyelashes and lips stand out just a little more. She looks warm and adorable. Beautiful. 

“Rey, peanut.’’ Ben watches while Finn takes Rey by the arms. “Is it okay if I call you peanut? I hope so because I’m going to, anyway. You don’t have to eat like this.”

There’s a crease between Rey’s eyebrows. She looks at him then Poe probably for help, then asks, “What do you mean?” 

Finn reaches over and takes the bag of Boom Chicka Pop and a box of Pop-Tarts from the counter and holds it up. “These aren’t good for you.”

Rey takes each one from Finn and tells him as though she’s a parent talking to a child tells him, “They may not be good for me but they’re good to eat.”

Ben rises from his chair, taking his bowl to the sink. “Let her eat whatever the hell she wants.”

Finn sends him a glare and an accusatory finger. “You’re a terrible influence. Don’t think I don’t know where you go on Sundays.”

Rey looks around Finn and straight at him. Her eyes are wide and curious. “Where do you go on Sundays?”

The side of his mouth lifts in a half-smirk. She’d love it. The little that he knows about her, he’s certain she’d enjoy it. He might take her with him. One of these days.

“That doesn’t matter,” Finn says, spinning around back to face Rey, taking her by the arms again, “what matters is these things and this stuff. Honey, let us introduce you to the world of organic whole foods.”

Slowly, as though she was speaking to a child, Rey puts her hands on his arms and while dragging them down tells him, “While I’d love to stay and learn… I have a class.”

“Okay then, tonight. We’ll take you shopping.”

Ben can’t take any more of this. With a push of his hip, he moves away from the counter and walks across the kitchen where he pauses beside her. It’s then he realizes she’s taller than before, then remembers her boots. He smirks and teases, “You sure you want to live here?”

Their eyes meet and he tries to ignore the way his heart does things in his chest when she smiles at him the way that she does. With those warm hazel doe eyes of hers and dimples.

Fuck. He needs to get a grip.

* * *

Her classroom has high ceilings with white walls. The floor is stained from paint and chalk. There are easels all around the room, and a small space at the front for what she assumes will be for models. A few students are standing around the room. Some are talking, some are setting up their things. Rey just finds one in the middle of the room with a good view and takes a seat 

“Hello, partner.”

Rey recognizes her from somewhere but where she can't recall. Somewhere recent. Her eyes gaze down as she reaches for her coffee and then it hits her. “I remember you from before. Last week at Starbucks.”

Her eyes widen. “Right! How was that latte? Did you like it?”

Rey grins. “Loved it. I had three more over the weekend until they told me they were out.”

“I know, boo. Oh well. Hopefully, they’ll bring it back this winter.”

“I’m Rey Kenobi.” 

“Kaydel Connix.” Her head tilts to the side. She studies her through thoughtful eyes. “You new to New York?”

Is she that obvious? Rey smiles. Probably. “Yeah, just moved here from London last week.”

“And how do you like it?” Her face brightens. Rey thinks there’s a lot of pride showing in her eyes.

“I haven’t had a chance to see much but so far I love it.”

“We should hang out after class one of these days. I grew up here. I can show you around. Show you the better coffee shops than Starbucks.”

They grin at one another, just as a voice comes drifting into the room.

“All right everyone, I’m Zorii.” Her teacher drops her bag on the ground and lifts herself on the desk. Her legs cross at the ankles then begin to swing. She looks around at each of them. A pleasant smile on her freckled face. Her chestnut curly hair falling around her shoulders. “Alright, pencils out. Let’s see what you’ve got.”

The whole room bursts into activity. Kits being removed, seats rearranged. Rey draws with her right hand so she adjusts her seat to where it’s comfortable. Beside her, Kaydel is closer than she was to her as Rey realizes she’s a lefty. 

“She’s hot, right?" Kaydel whispers, eyes on her canvass.

Rey can't help but smile at the question. She looks up at the front of the room, at the teacher with the face free of makeup. She’s pretty. That kind of classic, natural pretty that movie stars had back in the ’40s and ’50s. 

"Very."

Kaydel beams at her. "We're going to be good friends, Kanobi."

Rey thinks so too.

When she gets home she collapses on her bed. The day has been good. Productive. Classes were fun and not overwhelming like she thought they’d be. She might even have a new friend.

Her bed is comfortable and if she didn’t have to do things like wash the makeup off her face and put sheets on her bed, she just might fall asleep.

Her bedroom door is open and she can hear Finn and Poe’s commentary as they watch The Bachelor. It’s not her cup of tea, but their reactions make her smile. 

Soon another voice joins them. 

“Not this shit again.”

“You know it’s on Mondays…” Finn says, so crisp and clear she can picture the face he makes when he says it. “I don’t know why you come down here.” 

“I came down to make coffee.”

“Make your coffee and leave us to our drama.”

There’s a snort, it’s Ben’s. “Gladly.”

Rey shakes her head, grinning. 

Men.

* * *

“Yo, Solo, stop fucking with that video and get your ass down here!”

Ben’s head falls back as he pushes away from his desk while running his eyes. For the last nine hours, he’s been editing a week’s worth of videos. It’s easier if he keeps ahead. Shoots three or four videos at a time. That way he can edit and schedule them to post so he won’t have to work about them. 

Ben takes the overly large pink pillow and moves it away, but there’s something else there and he takes it as he sits down. It’s a round, elastic piece of silky floral looking fabric. He takes a full minute, but eventually, the light comes on and he realizes what he’s holding is Rey’s. 

“It’s a scrunchie,” Poe tells him.

“No shit, Sherlock. I know what a goddamn scrunchie is,” Ben grouses and puts his hand through it, letting it wrap around his wrist until he can give it to her. The game loads and he and Poe start a match. “Finn, get in here we need a third.”

“I can’t. I’m cleaning the bathtub,” Finn’s voice answers from down the hall. Ben doesn’t question it, just begins the match, but nothing is ever that easy with Finn. He’s in the room no more than two seconds later, staring them both down. “Why, you ask? Because it’s blue and covered with petals. You see not only has Rey brought Hot Pockets and Coke a Cola into our home, but she also has an affinity for bath bombs.” Ben opens his mouth to give him his weekly, I tried to tell you speech but is cut off. “Don’t even say it, Ben.”

Poe stomps back down the hall. 

“Don’t let him fool you, he enjoys cleaning.”

Ben hums and they get thrown in a new match.

Poe takes out a pussy ass camper, leaving Ben open to take the lead while saying, “I think he thought because she is a girl she’d be a neat freak like him. He should have had my sisters. Poor bastard would have known better.”

A laugh bubbles up from his chest. “We’re stuck with her now,” he replies, though he can’t say he’s mad about it anymore. 

“Hey, guys!”

He and Poe take their eyes off the game to look at one another, but it’s Poe who speaks what they’re both thinking. “Speak of the devil and she shall appear.”

“Class was absolutely brutal today,” she calls, her voice coming from somewhere in the kitchen. “We had our first nude model… Kaydel was horrible and inappropriate and it was all I could do to keep from laughing at the poor dear. Who knew gravity was such a bitch? I suppose one day I’ll be thankful for the chest I have.” 

Ben misses a shot, and it takes his character out. He hisses a curse and drops the controller in his lap.

Suddenly Rey’s there in the living room, smiling at him and Poe. “I stopped at the store on the way home. I’m going to make us all cookies.”

Neither of them says a word, only watches as she leaves the room toward her own. 

“Admit it. She’s not so bad.”

“She could be worse,” Ben says, and that’s all he’s ready to admit. 

* * *

It’s early as fuck on a Thursday morning while he’s just about to shoot a new tutorial video on Premiere Pro when he hears it. 

A scream from downstairs. With his heart in his chest, he’s out of his chair and taking the stairs two at a time until he’s jogging down the hall, sliding to a stop at the door to the kitchen. 

“What is it?” he asks, probably a little too wildly, but it becomes clear what the problem is with one look at Rey.

She’s covered in milk and powder and so is everything surface in the kitchen. Ben has to press his lips together hard to keep from barking out a laugh at the look on her face. She looks terrified. He’s not sure if it’s because of the mess or if she’s scared he’s going to explode on her as he did with the granola. 

To be fair, that was his favorite granola, and she ate it all.

“I’m sorry,” she murmurs so quietly he’d miss it if he hadn’t seen her lips move. “I.. I forgot the lid.”

He can’t hold it back any longer. The chuckle that rises up must catch her off guard because she’s frowning at him now. And it’s a pretty, soft frown, he notes. 

Stepping into the kitchen, he steps around the mess on the floor and goes over to her. It’s a fucking nightmare. That powder shit is a bitch to get off the blender, let alone walls. He knows because he’s done it once. You never forget the lid after your first time. 

“Damn. This sucks for you.”

“What do you mean?”

“Now you have a mess to clean up. Looks like you’ll be late.”

A soft _splat_ hits the counter in front of them. They both look up. “Fuck. It’s even on the ceiling.”

He’s half impressed. They had tall fucking ceilings. 

“I think I’m going to cry,” she says and his stomach drops when she meets his gaze. Her eyes are filling with tears. 

Fuck. He doesn’t think he can take that. “Please, don’t,” he tells her and reaches for the nearest kitchen towel. “I’ll help you.”

“Really?” She asks, her lower lip beginning to wobble. He has to look away.

“Yeah, I’ve done this before.” It wasn’t nearly this bad, but he doesn’t tell her that. “Just go grab me a towel.”

“Thank you, Ben,” she tells him then dashes away towards her bathroom.

He takes a deep breath and hoists himself onto the kitchen island before murmuring, “Yeah, yeah.”

* * *

It’s early. Far too early to be up on a Saturday. But it’s snowing and she can’t sleep knowing the city is being dusted with big fat fluffy flakes. 

She tiptoes down the hall and into the kitchen where she makes herself a full pot of coffee, knowing the guys are bound to be up, eventually.

Rey opens the fridge is about to reach for her plain half and half but pauses seeing Ben’s fancy organic hazelnut creamer. Rey bites her thumbnail and glances around her. He won’t mind her talking a little for herself, right? It’s not as if she’s going to steal from it all the time. She just wants to see how it tastes. For science. 

She takes enough to fill the couple inches in her cup, then takes her coffee out into the living room.

“You’re a scavenger, you know that?”

She tries hard to smother the smile that’s threatening to lift her lips, but it’s no use. His tone is too full of amusement rather than annoyance. “I only took a little to taste.”

“Mmm. And how is it?”

“Amazing,” she tells him, still keeping her eyes on the view of the city. “I’ll buy you more.”

“So you won’t feel so guilty when you inevitably steal more?”

Her smile breaks through full force. “It’s possible.”

They both stand there drinking their coffees, watching the snow settle over the trees and buildings. After a minute, he says, “I don’t mind sharing.” 

It’s at this that she looks over at him. “You yelled at Poe for eating the last mango the other night.”

Ben snorts. “Because that asshole eats the last of everything and never replaces it. You bought more mangos. You, I trust.”

God, why does he have to say things like that to her? She crushes on him enough as it is. She doesn’t need all these damn butterflies fluttering around in her stomach every time she sees him. She shifts her gaze back out the window and thinks of a safer topic. “What are you doing up so early?”

“I need to go pick up some equipment and meet up with a friend for a compilation video.”

“That sounds like fun.”

“Want to go?”

Oh, fuck. Fuck. Fuck. _Fuck. Yes!_ she wants to say. But she has plans this morning with Kaydel and what kind of crap friend would she be if she canceled for a boy. He’s looking at her with these soft, oh God, is that a hopeful expression? Does he know what he’s doing to her? Probably not. “Oh, I would but I made plans to get breakfast with a friend.”

A beat and then he shrugs. “Okay.”

“I wish I could,” she tells him because she really does.

“It’s fine,” he tells her, then turns and walks back towards the stairs.

Rey licks her lips, gathers her courage and calls, “But… will you ask me again?”

He’s about to take his first step up the stairs when he pauses. “I will. Have a good breakfast.”

* * *

Ben wakes to someone pounding on his bedroom door. Someone better be dead or be on the other side of the door with a very large coffee. 

“Ben?”

“Hang the fuck on,” he says, tossing the sheet and comforter off him. The door’s not locked, but Ben appreciates his roommate doesn’t barge in all the same. “What?”

The word doesn’t come out friendly or welcoming. Poe steps back but recovers easily enough. He’s been around Ben long enough to have felt with his fair share of morning attitude. “I need to use your bathroom.”

“Why?”

“Rey’s been in ours for over an hour.”

He blinks and fails to see what this has to do with his bathroom. “So?”

“So?” Poe’s face scrunches so comically Ben just might have laughed if he had been more awake. “What do you mean so?

“I mean start adjusting your bathroom schedule. She’s your problem, not mine.” He goes to close his door, but Poe reaches up quickly and presses his hand firmly against the door. 

“Cute. Get out of the way.”

Ben lets Poe shoulder his way in. Ben yawns and thinks about going back to sleep for about ten seconds, but then his gaze flicks to the alarm clock by his bed and it’s already after nine. There’s too much shit he needs to do today, so fuck any chance of sleeping now.

Poe takes twenty minutes in his bathroom, and when he comes out he tells Ben, “I wouldn’t go in there for a few.”

Ben makes a face and heads down to the kitchen. He needs coffee before he kills his roommate. 

Before Rey, he would walk downstairs in his boxers, after Rey however he makes sure to pull on a tee and a pair of sweatpants. Not for him, he doesn’t care what she sees him in but it’s out of respect for her he tries. 

This morning though, he has only enough energy to pull on a pair of sweats. 

Downstairs, he reaches for the coffee his mom bought him as a joke. It’s from some indie coffee place on Etsy. As a small business owner, his mom loves to shop and support small businesses. The quirky the better is her motto. Whatever the hell they call the place, their coffee fits the bill. The brew is called Death by Coffee. Guaranteed to be more than bold. It better be, he thinks. He fucking needs it after his night.

Rather than stand and watch it brew, Ben heads into the living room and down the hall. Here hasn’t heard a peep out of Rey.

She’s still painting. Only now her hair hangs down her back in wet curls and holy fuck, there are a lot more paintings. 

“Have you been to sleep?” he asks half-joking.

“Nope,” she answers without bothering to turn.

He’s impressed. “I thought as much.”

“You?”

“Yeah, I finished editing around four.” Ben takes a step into her room looking more closely at a watercolor of their building. She’s not good, she’s fucking fantastic. 

“I think I’m almost finished. I’ll be satisfied with it enough, I think.”

“What’s it supposed to be?”

“It’s my assignment. To paint a landscape with all the basic watercolor techniques. So I painted Washington Square. I think I’m going to call it Spring.”

“Seems legit. I like it.”

She crosses her arms and smiles at him. It’s soft and proud, as it should be. “Thanks.”

His stomach chooses that moment to growl loudly, and it only widens her smile. “Do you want breakfast?”

Her head tilts to the side. “Are you making it?”

“Yep.”

“Absolutely then,” she says smiling. Always smiling. “I’ll help you.”

“You don’t have to,” he replies before he turns and walks out of her room and down the hall. 

“It’s okay, I want to.”

It’s not until they are standing side by side in the kitchen that Ben notices the paint. She doesn’t know about them because she washed her hands in the kitchen and hasn’t seen herself in the mirror. He thinks it’s endearing. The little dots all over her face and arms. He can think she’s endearing. He’s had many friends who were girls that did cute shit without wanting to date them or fuck them.

She’s just one of those girls.

Sorta.

Maybe.

He’ll get past it.

Eventually.

“What?”

The question startles him. Shit. Has he been staring? 

“You keep looking at me,” she says with a soft laugh.

Well, fuck.

He laughs a little, so it seems like the whole thing is more amusing to him than to what it is. “You have paint splatters all over your face.”

Her mouth drops open into this little _o_ and it takes all of his willpower to squelch the urge to kiss her. She reaches for the towel beside them and holds it out. “Get them for me?”

He blinks at her and then down at the towel. What the hell, he thinks. It’s a perfectly normal roommate thing to do for her, although the way his heart rate has increased might wholeheartedly disagree with him. Clearing his throat, he takes the towel and steps toward her.

His gaze meets hers.

He’s screwed.

* * *

Rey shivers when he cups her face in the palm of his hand but she’s sure having trouble looking up into his eyes afraid he’ll feel the way she trembles and just _know_. Why she had to ask him to get the paint off is beyond her. She’s a massive idiot. 

He’s probably thinking along the same lines, he hasn’t said a word to her. Only when his neutral expression breaks out into a smile, does she let herself relax. “They look like little white freckles on top of brown.”

“At least the white ones come off,” she grumbles.

His brow furrows. “You say that like you hate yours.”

“I do,” she tells him honestly. She’s always hated her freckles. “When I was little, there was this boy who used to make fun of them. I cried a lot that year.”

Ben’s face morphs into something less than pleased. If she has to put an emotion to it, she’d say he looks downright annoyed. “I don’t know why that little tool said that. They’re adorable, and they suit you. If I’d have known you back then, I would have punched him for you.”

Rey swallows hard. She doesn’t know what to say to that. She would have loved to have someone as big as Ben around when she was little to defend her. He’d do a better job than any of her foster parents or siblings could, that she knows. “That’s very sweet, Ben.”

Ben just smiles and hands her the rag. It’s quiet for a little while, while Ben cracks then mixes a bowl full of eggs. Rey watches him, the ease at which he cooks. This isn’t his first omelet, and she’s about to ask him where he learned to cook, but then he looks over at her with a raised brow and she closes her mouth.

Before she knows it, he hip checks her and nods with a gesture down at the cutting board. “Make yourself useful and chop up those peppers. Our omelets are going to burn and then it’ll be all your fault.”

Rey smothers a smile by taking a long strip of red pepper and popping it into her mouth, and if she happens to hip check him right back, well, he deserves it.


End file.
